IN THE NEWS - India Elections

IN THE NEWS - India Elections
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Saturday, May 15, 2004

This is Steve Ember with In the News in VOA Special English.

India's Congress Party has defeated the party of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in national parliamentary elections. The Congress Party and its allies won a majority of seats in the national legislature. Congress Party leaders will form a new coalition¹ government and name a prime minister.

 
Rajasthani tribal² head for a polling booth at Mehrana village
The elections were held for five days over a three-week period that ended on Monday. Mister Vajpayee officially resigned Thursday following the defeat of India's ruling coalition, the National Democratic Alliance. The coalition, led by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, had been in power for five years.

Leaders from the prime minister's B.J.P party and its allies expressed surprise at the election results. Mister Vajpayee and his alliance were expected to easily win another five-year term.

Mister Vajpayee had organized the election six months earlier than necessary after a series of political successes. His campaign noted³ the country's eight percent growth rate, which made it one of the world's fastest growing economies. He also won praise for his efforts to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan.

But experts say the B.J.P. campaign failed to win the support of millions of India's poor people. India is the world's largest democracy. But many Indians still live on less than one dollar a day. The Congress Party and its allies said they would help poor people if elected. They criticized the government for failing to provide citizens with jobs, clean water and electricity.

Congress Party officials said India's new government would continue peace efforts with Pakistan begun by Mister Vajpayee. The two countries re-opened peace talks last year.

Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi could become India's next prime minister. But Missus Ghandi is unpopular with some Indians because she was born in Italy. Missus Gandhi is the widow of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was murdered in a bombing attack in nineteen-ninety-one. Rajiv Gandhi was the son of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and grandson of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Indira Gandhi was India's last female leader. She was murdered while in power in nineteen-eighty-four.

The Congress Party led by the Nehru-Gandhi family governed for almost fifty years after India gained independence from Britain in nineteen-forty-seven.

Sonia Gandhi took control of the Congress Party in nineteen-ninety-eight as the B.J.P. was becoming more popular. But a year later, she led her party to its worst-ever defeat in parliamentary elections. In recent months, however, she has worked to strengthen the Congress Party. She spoke⁴ at hundreds of campaign gatherings⁵ throughout the country. Her son Rahul won his own seat in the Indian parliament.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。